Pivoted inner jaw wrench



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Marv/'n W. F oss Oct. 25, 1960 M. w. Fcss PIVOTED INNER JAW WRENCH Filed Feb. 12, 1959 United States Patent() M' PIvoTED INNER JAW WRENCH Marvin W. Foss, 917% P St., Sacramento, Calif., assignor of ten percent to Simeon S. Reibin, Sacramento, Calif.

Filed Feb. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 792,837

3 Claims. (Cl. 81-97) no manual adjustment on the part of the user after the wrench is set in place on the part which is to be turned. The locking and relaxation is obtained repetitiously in l the manipulation of the Wrench.

A further object of the invention is to provide a durable wrench wherein the parts will not become loose or wobble even after extended periods of use for the reason that the Wrench has a rear slidable jaw housing with a full back which affords much greater strength in the jaw area. This is in opposition to a strapped or U-shaped housing slidable on a wrench lever or handle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hand tool of the Wrench class, wherein there is a movable recessed jaw on a handle and containing a pivoted jaw member which is cooperative with a comparatively iixed jaw member. The recessed housing has a substantial area passage through which the handle is passed thereby forming a large bearing surface for the movable jaw housing so that a rigid, durable and satisfactorily operative wrench results.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a top view of a part of a tool constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational side view of the tool in Figure l, parts being broken away and in section to illustrate otherwise hidden details; and,

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown a wrench having a handle 12 provided with an elongate recess 14 in one surface thereof. A rack bar 16 is disposed in recess 14 and has a plurality of ratchet teeth 18 along one of its surfaces. The rack bar -16 may be held in place by screws 20 and 22, but it is understood that the rack bar 16 may be omitted entirely if ratchet teeth 18 are made directly on a surface of the handle 12.

One end of the handle 12 has a stationary jaw member 22 detachably held in place and provided with a gripping surface 24 cooperable with gripping surface 26 of pivoted jaw 28. Any means may be used for detachably supporting the jaw member 22 so that it may 2,957,378 Patented Oct. 25, 1960 ICS be removed and replaced when found necessary. For instance, there may be a mounting ange 30 on fixed jaw 22 and a removable pin 32 passed through an opening in the mounting flange and aligned openings on opposite sides of a pocket 34 in the extremity of handle 12 that accommodates ange 30.

The movable jaw member 28 has an ear 36 near its lower end, and a pivot pin 38 is passed through an opening in the ear 36. The pivot pin is carried by a movable recessed housing 40, the latter having a cavity 42 occupied in part by ear 36. The two sides 44 and 46 of the housing 40 are on opposite sides of handle 12, and the bottom 48 of housing 40 is in contact with the lower surface of handle 12. The top wall 50 of housing 40 is of irregular shape. Parts of walls 44 and 46, and the entire wall 48 constitute a passage 52 through which the handle 12 passes. Note that the passage 52 has a substantial bearing surface in contact with handle 12 so that a solid and durable tool results.

Housing 40 and all of the structure carried by the housing, is slidable to selected positions axially on handle 12. Ratchet dog or pawl 56 is mounted for pivotal movement on pin 58, the latter extending across cavity 42 and being attached to walls 46 and 44. Pawl 56 is concealed within the cavity and has a plurality of teeth 60 in engagement with a substantial number of teeth 18. Spring 62 has one end located in a small well 64 formed in a part of the wall 50 and is in contact with the top surface of pawl 56. The spring action is in a direction tending to retain teeth 60 and 18 in engagement with each other. The shape of the teeth 60 and 18 permits the housing 50 to be slid in one direction on the handle 12, that is, toward the curved jaw member supporting extremity of the handle. However, the teeth will prohibit movement of the housing 40 in the opposite direction thereby necessitating the pawl 56 to be lifted by lever 68 when movement of the movable jaw housing in the last mentioned direction is desired. Lever 68 is mounted on a pin 70 extending across the cavity 42 and carried by the sides 44 and 46 of the housing. The inner .end 72 of the lever is located in a notch 74 at one end of pawl 56 so that when the lever 68 is depressed, end 72 will elevate the pawl 56 thereby disengagng teeth 60 and 18.

I aw member 28 was said to be pivoted on pin 38. xIt is held in a position in advance of the face of housing Wall 50 by a spring pressed pin 82, the latter passing through an opening 84 in wall member 50 (Figure 2) and contacting the rear face of jaw member 28. There is a collar 86 attached to pin 82 and located in cavity 42. Spring 88 is seated on collar 86 and located in a well 90 that opens inwardly of the cavity 42.

In use of the wrench, a coarse adjustment of the wrench is obtained by sliding the housing 40 forward when the part to be turned is located between the jaw members 28 and 22. This coarse adjustment is all that is necessary. When the Wrench handle is turned the jaw members, one being spring pressed by spring 88, engage the surface of the part which is to be turned. This is for one direction of movement of the part. When the wrench is reversely turned, that is moved in the opposite direction, the jaw member 28 relaxes its grip.

In order to adjust housing 40 on handle 12, rthe only thing that is necessary is to depress lever 68 and slide the housing in the desired direction.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifica-tions and changes will readily occur to those skilled in lthe art, itis not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a pivoted inner jaw wrench, the combination of an elongated handle having a laterally turned portion at one end thereof and provided intermediate its ends with a toothed rack extending longitudinally of the handle, a stationary jaw carried by said laterally turned portion of said handle and extending substantially at right angles to thehandle, a housing -slidable longitudinally on the handle and including a U-shaped lower portion slidably embracing the handle and a hollow upper portion projecting to the same side of the handle as said laterally turned portion of the handle, said housing dening a cavity therein and including a top wall and a front wall extending from said top wall at an acute angle to the handle to a point spaced upwardly from the handle, a pivoted inner jaw disposed between said stationary jaw and the iront wall of said housing in substantially parallel relation to the stationary jaw, an apertured ear provided at one end of said inner jaw and disposed in the space between said front Wall and said handle, a pin extending transversely of said housing through lthe aperture in said ear whereby said inner jaw is pivotally movable toward and away from said stationary jaw, said front wall being provided with an aperture, a pressure pin slidably positioned in said aperture, said pressure pin having an outer end in abutment with said inner jaw and an inner end disposed in the cavity of said housing, a compression spring mounted in the cavity of the housing and bearing against the inner end of said pressure pin whereby to resiliently urge said inner jaw toward the stationary jaw, and spring pressed pawl means provided in the cavity of the housing and operatively engaging said toothed rack whereby to permit sliding of the housing toward the stationary jaw but prevent sliding of the housing in -the opposite direction.

- 2. The device as defined in claim 1 together with a transverse pin provided in the cavity of said housing, said pawl means comprising a pawl disposed entirely within the cavity of the housing and pivotally mounted at one end thereof on'said last mentioned pin, a compression spring disposed in the cavity of the housing and bearing against said pawl for urging the same in engagement with said toothed rack, and means manipulable from the exterior of the housing for dsengaging the pawl from said rack yagainst the action of said last mentioned spring.

3. The device as defined in claim 2 wherein said last mentioned means comprise a lever having an inner end portion disposed in the cavity of said housing and an outer end portion projecting outwardly from said cavity, a transverse pin disposed in the cavity of the housing and having the intermediate portion of said lever pivotally mounted thereon, said pawl being provided at the end thereof remote from its pivot pin with a notch having the inner end of said lever operatively engaged therein, whereby the pawl may be disengaged from said toothed rack upon actuation of the outer end portion of said lever.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 459,072 Sullivan Sept. 8, 1891 488,431 Gregory Dec. 20, 1892 498,321 Stolze May 30, 1893 501,462 =Hull July 11, 1893 654,503 Woods July 24, 1900 1,001,596 Noon Aug. 22, 1911 1,477,928 Bailey Dec. 18, 1923 1,547,443 Porter July Z8, 1925 1,647,071 Arbogast Oct. 25, 1927 

